Cartouche met kwabornament, bovenaan een masker 1655

Pieter Hendricksz. Schut created this ornamented cartouche with quill and ink in the seventeenth century, a period defined by baroque exuberance. The print showcases the “kwabornament,” or auricular style, popular during the Dutch Golden Age. These fleshy, lobe-like forms are not merely decorative; they reflect a society grappling with new ideas about the body and identity. The grotesque mask at the top, a common baroque motif, is a reminder of mortality, a theme that resonated deeply in a time marked by conflict and disease. Consider how this cartouche, designed to frame and elevate, also obscures and distorts. It invites us to reflect on the ways in which we frame our own identities and histories. The blank space in the center becomes a mirror, asking us to consider what we choose to display, and what remains hidden.